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The Deer God Review (Playstation 4)

Written By: James Nicolay


Title: The Deer God
Developer: Crescent Luna Games , Cinopt Studios
Publisher: Crescent Luna Games
Genre: Adventure, 2D Platformer, 3D Pixel Art
Rating: T
Release Date: Apr 25, 2017 (PS4)
Also Available On: Android, iOS, PC, PS Vita, Wii U, Xbox One



The Deer God was a kickstarter projection inwards 2014 that promised to deliver a "breathtaking 3D pixel fine art game that volition challenge your faith in addition to your platforming skills," equally originally mentioned on the kickstarter website. The game ultimately raised almost one-half of its projected budget, but nonetheless, the game released on many of its intended platforms. Sad to say, despite the hope of a challenging platforming game in addition to a pseudo-religious experience, playing The Deer God on PS4 felt similar doing a messy task without whatever existent wages except testing one's patience equally to what the request of game genuinely is all about.

Researching on this game, which supposedly promises a challenge volition exam my faith, I was hoping to sense something akin to thatgamecompany's extremely successful game, Journey. However, playing the game inwards the start hour, I was left to enquiry my faith whether I would desire to proceed amongst this game equally I didn't accept the drive to become on amongst it.




Concept-wise, The Deer God is interesting: yous are a hunter resurrected equally a fawn--you are given a peril to sense the Blue Planet through the eyes of the real beast yous hunt. This premise reminded me of the mythology tale of the hunter Actaeon in addition to the Roman goddess of the hunt Diana, where the goddess punished the hunter past times transforming him into a stag, thereby he was ravished past times the real dogs he used for hunting equally penalization for hunting the goddess when she was inwards her doe form.




First few minutes of the game was captivating equally yous sense the beautiful artwork in addition to the mesmerizing background music. You are given a few buttons to primary equally the game seems to last prepare equally initially a platformer--you tin produce a dash (to defeat enemies) in addition to yous tin jump in addition to produce a double jump. Further on, yous encounter an old human being that tells yous that yous accept to encounter him at his hut.

This should've been an interesting premise for a game, but later coming together the old human being at his hut in addition to returning his monocle, the game simply throws yous to explore the Blue Planet amongst real lilliputian instructions equally to what yous should do.




Normally I larn games that produce non accept a lot of instructions, except that I would demand at to the lowest degree a form of a destination to achieve for myself. And what would maintain me interested is the gameplay or the surroundings of the game. For additional 30 minutes, I was running along the beautiful landscape in addition to piece of cake the surroundings grew menacing, without whatever existent interesting expanse for me to explore. Heck, fifty-fifty the music got duller at ane point, in addition to I was trying to figure out what to produce next.

Naturally, I was stomped in addition to I had to resort to where gamers unremarkably become to when nosotros are stuck inwards whatever game: a website that nosotros googled for a walkthrough. And this is where it got sadder: reading the walkthrough made me aware of the minor elements inwards the game that should've been explained good at to the lowest degree inwards the game. It was exclusively hence I works life out almost what the three-colored bar at the exceed of the covert genuinely meant. And it seemed that the argue I was stuck was because I was supposed to solve an expanse that never got a prompt that it was meant to last solved.




So for a game that supposedly challenges one's faith inwards religion, the game made me enquiry my faith inwards indie games. Why the lack of clear instructions? Why the underpowered grapheme in addition to confusing power-ups in addition to items? Why the barely legible texts for instructions? Why the annoying boom-sounding bass inwards the background music each fourth dimension a grapheme dies? Why a buggy game sense that amassed coin from a 3 twelvemonth old kickstarter projection despite having plenty fourth dimension to piece it for the PS4 version?

The game supposedly invites exploration inwards its absence of tutorial, but the surroundings is rife amongst spikes, hollow areas, in addition to unreachable platforms. The game too changes its landscape every fourth dimension yous start a novel game in addition to hence it's confusing how the exploration is going to last fun equally other games that produce this, roguelike games, accept plenty features to brand the gamer maintain coming dorsum for to a greater extent than challenge.




Ultimately, The Deer God, oh dear, is a disappointing gaming sense that could accept been improve if the developer is clearer inwards its implementation of gameplay instructions in addition to mayhap mechanics that could've made the game to a greater extent than fun to play. As it is, it's a messy game that chop-chop kills the involvement of the gamer almost equally fast equally how it kills the hunter at the start of the game.


Rating: 2/5

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